Gardener John Hammond may have set a new world record by growing a monster cucumber.

Mr Hammond, of Park Square East, Clacton, has written to the Guinness Book of Records to see if the 46-inch cucumber really is a record-breaker.

Gardener John Hammond and the monster cucumber

The cucumber is a Mellonie, so-called because it tastes like a melon. He grew it from a seed bought from a garden centre.

Mr Hammond, 73, said he had never seen as big a cucumber in 50 years as a gardener. The current world record stands at 43.5 inches.

He said: "It is an earth-shattering miracle. It must be something in the genes because there were two others that were pretty big as well."

Published Thursday, August 7, 2003

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